It can be a bit scary when your heart skips a beat or flutters like a trapped butterfly or thuds like a bass drum. According to MayoClinic.com, in many cases of cardiac palpitation, there's nothing wrong. But sometimes a nutritional problem, such as magnesium toxicity, may be the culprit. If you're having heart palpitations, see your doctor. She can perform the necessary tests to diagnose your condition and determine whether it is nutritional in origin.
Heart Arrhythmia
When your heart is functioning normally, the electrical impulses that cause cardiac muscle contractions occur in a precise sequence. When this sequence is disrupted, you may experience cardiac palpitations, which are also referred to as arrhythmias. This term applies to irregular heartbeats caused by a malfunction in the electrical impulses that govern the contraction of cardiac muscle. Many different factors can cause heart arrhythmias, ranging from serious conditions, such as coronary artery disease and hyperthyroidism, to that extra cup of coffee you had after lunch.
Magnesium
Magnesium is an essential mineral that your body uses to support bone structure. It also aids in muscle contraction, including that of cardiac muscle, by transporting ions across cell membranes. Magnesium deficiencies are uncommon because this mineral is found in a wide variety of both plant and animal-based foods. When your body is low in magnesium, your kidney function adjusts so that less magnesium is excreted in your urine, thus allowing correction of the magnesium deficiency. Some conditions, such as renal or gastrointestinal disorders, alcoholism and age, can accelerate magnesium loss and increase your risk of deficiency.
Magnesium Toxicity
If you have too much magnesium in your body, you may experience disturbances in your heart rhythm, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. If your blood levels of magnesium are severely elevated, a condition known as hypermagnesemia, you may even go into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, no incidents of hypermagnesemia have been identified as a result of eating dietary sources of magnesium. The known cases are related to consumption of concentrated dosages obtained by consuming magnesium supplements. Those with impaired kidney function may be especially prone to hypermagnesemia and should not take magnesium supplements unless under a doctor's direction.
Magnesium Dosages
According to the Linus Pauling Institute, the recommended dietary allowance for magnesium for males age 31 and older is 420 mg per day. For females in this age group, the daily dosage is 320 mg. Pregnant women require slightly more, at 360 mg daily, and lactating women are advised to consume slightly less, at 310 mg daily. These amounts refer to dietary magnesium only and should not be applied to magnesium supplements. For magnesium supplements, the tolerable upper limit for anyone over the age of 19 is 350 mg. Consult your doctor before taking magnesium supplements.
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